Electric switch.



J. F. McELROY, DECD. s. H. McELnoY. ExEcTnlx.

'ELECTRIC swncH. APPLICATION FILED AUGJI. 19H.

Patelitd Sept. 19, 1916.

INVENTOR fm ya Mp/ WITNESSES:

ATTY' En srAn-EsV ra rrr sion.

J AMES F. MCELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK;A SUSIE H. MCELROY, EXECUTE/IX OF SAID JAMES F. IVICELROY, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATED CAR-HEATING COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA. v

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Speccation of Letters Patent. i Eatentgd Spt, 19,1915.

Application led August 11, 1911. Serial 133,643,577.

To all whom t maf/ concern Be it known that I, JAMES F. MCELROY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, the following being a full, clear, and exact disclosure of the one form of my invention which I at present deem preferable.

For a detailed description of the present form of my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawing, which illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 shows a top view'of my switch, Fig. 2 a front elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 a side elevation thereof, the surrounding box or casing being shown in section in each ligure. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the switch arm and plate disconnected.

My invention consists in a simple form of electric switch composed essentially of two castings and a spring, one casting being a stationary and the other a movable part of the switch, while the spring serves to hold the two parts together in working relation without resort to the pivoting of one part upon another by means of a pivot-pin or spindle, as in the usual arrangement. I have also shown my switch, for purposes of illustration, as of the type designed for temporary closure of the circuit by moving the handle to either side and holding it there during the closure of the circuit. The spring being so arranged as to bring the switch arm back to its central position when released by the operator.

Turning to the drawings, C represents the usual insulating base upon which is seated a flat plate or casting B provided with two projections D1 and D2. rThe switch-arm is shown at A and is provided at one end with a handle A1 and at its opposite end (as clearly appears in Fig. 3) is turned inward and terminates in a short plate A2 lying in a plane parallel to the length of the arm A. The said plate A2 (as clearly appears in Fig. 2.) is somewhat wider than the switcharm A and is seated between the two projections D1 D2. The two upper corners of the plate A2 are curved outwardly and provided with undercut portions so as to hook over the said projections, while below the projections the outer edges of the plate are curved each on the arc of a circle struck from the axis of the opposite projection as a center. Thus the curved edge cl2 is centered around the axis of the projection D1, and, similarly, the curved edge Z1 is centered around the axis of the projection D2. The spring S is secured at its upper end to the under side of the switch arm A, being hooked into a flange in the corner produced by the bend at the upper end of the switch arm, while at its lower end the spring is secured to a lug c on the front face of the base plate B. The spring thus exerts its contractile force in the general direction of the switch-arm A to hold the plate A2 upon its seat on the lugs D1 D2, while it also draws the switch arm inwardly toward the base plate B, thereby bringing a locking lug a on the under side of the switch-arm into engagement with the locking portion b with which base plate B is provided to lock the switch-arm in its central position.

Assuming the parts to be of the shape and relative disposition above described, it will be manifest that the switch may be operated by first moving the handle A1 away from base B to release it, and then turning it to the right or left to close'the circuit on one side or the other. If theVV handle A1 is turned to the right, the switch arm will rotate around the lug D1, while the curved guiding surface Z2 will pass along the opposite projection D2. A stop screw B1 serves to limit the extent of movement' of the plate A2. lf the handle A1 is moved to the left, the arm will turn around the projection D2 and the curved guiding edge Z1 will pass along the opposite projection D1. lThe spring S acts eccentrically to both of the projections and will, therefore, tend to oppose the movement of the switch-arm from its central position, and when the switch-arm is released, will tend to restore it to the said central position. That is to say, the spring S acts centrally between the projections D1 and D2 and therefore acts eccentrically to both of them. The space underneath the top flange of the undercut projections D1 and D2 will be such as to permit of the slight locking and unlocking movement of the switch-arm toward or away from the base plate B.

The construction described above is an extremely simple one, the switch arm and its plate A2 being formed as a single casting,

while the stationary part, including the base plate B and the projections D1 and D2 may also be formed as al single casting, or the projections may be riveted thereto as indicated in the drawing. To assemble t rese two castings in their working relation to each other it is only necessary to placethe switcharm in its normal seating position and in engagement with the projections. rhis eliminates the usual pivoting of the movable part on the stationary one, while the two parts are readilv separable for inspection or replacement.

lhat i claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric switch comprising a stationary base provided with spaced apart ulcrum members and spaced apart contacts, a switch arm mounted between said contacts and normally out of engagement with both, said switch arm being movable toward either contact upon the respective ulcrnm meinbers, means for preventing movement of the switch am toward either contact without iirst moving said arm away from said base, and a spring .tor yieldingly holding said switch arm. against movement.

Q. An electric switch comprising a stationary base provided with spaced apart fulcrum members and .spaced apart contacts, a switch arm mounted between said contacts and normally out oi engagement with both, said switch arm being movable toward either contact upon the respective tnlcrnm members, said switch arm having a portion er; tending between the ulcrum members shaped to be guided by either member when the other is acting as a fulcrum, means ior preventing movement of the switch arm toward either contact without first moving said arm a vay from said base, and a spring for yieldingly holding said switch arm against movement.

3. An electric switch comprising a stationary base provided with spaced apart contacts, and spaced apart ulcrum members, a switch arm located between said contacts and normally ont oi engagement with aan provided with spaced apart guides to engage said projections, the curve of each guide being centered from a projection on the opposite side of the stationary part, said members serving as fulcra for said arm, and a spring acting to hold the parts in engagement longitudinally, and means tor normally preventing lateral movement of said arm.

5. An electric switch comprising a base provided with spaced apart ulcra, a switch arm mounted between and cooperating with both fulcra, said arm being provided with guides cooperating with either ulcrum when the arm swings on the other iulcrum, and a spring acting to press the switch arm into seating engagement with both projections, and also to hold the same in engagement with said base.

6. In an electric switch, a stationary base having projections, a switch-arm having seating engagement at one end with the projections of said stationary base, and also a locking engagement with said base, and a spring acting upon said switch arm to maintain both the locking and seating engagement.

in witness whereof hav hereunto set my hand, before two subscribing witnesses, this 9th day or" August, 1911.

JAMES F. MoELR-Y.

VVitnesses Hnnnnnr A. CaLKrNs, Cnnnnncn ALMnn.

Co ies of this patent ma ne obtained for five cents each e addressing the Gommssioner of atents.

p y A Washington, E. G. 

